Even if they failed to encounter the enemy, every one of their sorties amounted to a brush with death. There were many dangers for Luftwaffe night fighters to contend with; hazardous weather conditions, fog rolling out of nowhere, return fire from the British bombers, enemy night fighters at work over German airfields and simple fatigue could all lead to tragedy.

One of the men who survived all of this was Ofw. Kurt Bundrock. Born on 2nd February 1917 in Berlin, Bundrock flew as Bordfunker (radio operator) with NJG 1's ace Hptm. Reinhold Knacke (44 night victories).